BLUE GRAMA
(Bouteloua gracilis)

Description

Have you ever walked across the prairie in South Dakota and noticed
a short grass with a seedhead that looks like one or two eyebrows on a
short stalk? If so, it was probably blue grama. Blue grama, Bouteloua gracilis
, is named for a Spanish writer, Claudio Boutelou, who wrote about agriculture
and lived from 1774 until 1842. The species name, gracilis , is a Latin
word meaning slender.

Blue grama leaves are curly and slender, 0.04 to 0.1 inches (1 to 3 mm)
wide and 3 to 6.1 inches (7.5 to 15.5 cm) long. Most of the leaves grow
at the base of the round, thin, unbranched plant stem. This leaf growth
pattern is called tufted . Sparse, fine hairs occur on the underside of
each leaf. The seedheads resemble an eyebrow, because all of the flower
parts are arranged very close together on one side. The seedhead grows
on the stem 9.8 to 19.7 inches (25 to 50 cm) above the ground. Blue grama,
like most other grasses, has fibrous roots .

Blue grama is easy to find in the short grass or mixed grass prairie
because of its short stature compared to other prairie vegetation, the
curly nature of its leaves, and the eyebrow appearance of its seedhead.
A similar species, buffalograss, is also a short plant with curly leaves,
but blue grama lacks the above ground runners characteristic of buffalograss.

Distribution

Blue grama is native to North America and is a dominant plant of the
short grass prairie in the western plains of South Dakota. In western South
Dakota, it is commonly found in association with buffalograss on relatively
flat, rolling plains. Blue grama also grows on the sod tables in the badlands
formations.

Natural History

Blue grama is one of the most common grasses of South Dakota. The species
reproduces sexually by seed production and also
asexually by the production of very short rhizomes , which are underground
stems capable of producing a new plant. Blue grama is a perennial species
that is classified as a warm season grass. This means that it begins to
grow as temperatures rise in the late spring, and then flowers in the summer.

Significance

Like buffalograss, blue grama is an important component of both the
short grass and mixed grass prairies of the western plains. It is a drought
resistant species that provides nutritious food for wildlife and livestock
in all seasons. In the southern Great Plains it is used extensively in
mixtures for roadside seedings and re-establishment of native ranges.

Glossary

Asexual reproduction - the type of reproduction that is accomplished
by an individual without genetic contribution from another individual.
The resulting offspring of asexual reproduction are genetically identical
to the parent plant.
Dominant species - the species in a community that significantly
influences that community due to its greater population, size, or coverage.
Fibrous roots - roots that have many slender fibers in contrast
to a taproot such as a carrot.
Perennial - plant that can live more than two years.
Rhizomes - underground stems capable of asexually producing
a new plant.

Publication of the Blue Grama fact sheet was funded by the S.D.
Department of Game, Fish and Parks, Division of Wildlife, Pierre, SD in
cooperation with a Natural Resource Conservation Education Grant from the
U.S. Forest Service.